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CONFERENCE ON PUBLIC CONSULTATION BRINGS TOGETHER EXPERTS FROM UK AND THE ASIA-PACIFIC

200 policy makers and communications professionals come together to share experiences and learn the fine art of conducting effective consultation exercises

30 June 05

Singapore is into it in a big way. So are almost all other governments the world over. The terminology may differ - to some it is community participation; to others community involvement; and some others call it community engagement. But whatever the terminology, every government has a major objective in mind – consult the stakeholders, find out what their concerns are and garner ideas, so that it can make informed decisions about issues that affect its citizens; design better policies; maximise opportunities for its citizens to be better informed.

Two hundred senior representatives from the private and public sectors in Singapore , heard this message today, in many different forms, at PR Academy’s Fourth Annual Conference held at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel. Themed, “Collective Wisdom: The Power of Public Consultation”, the conference brought under one roof leading experts in public consultation from UK, Australia, Hong Kong, Thailand, Australia and Singapore. The speakers came from diverse backgrounds – from a UK permanent secretary who described how the UK was now moving from a culture of announcements to citizen-focused engagement and explanation, to a former teacher from Australia who shared how a well thought-out consultation programme galvanized a community. None of the speakers said public consultation was easy. Not only because of the extensive planning work involved, but more so because many consultation exercises, like Bangkok ’s South Outer Bangkok Ring Road Project, evoked strong emotions from the public.

However, one common thread ran through all the presentations - the challenge of managing public expectations. As Dr Roberta Ryan, Associate Director, Elton Consulting, and an expert on public facilitation put it, “There are universal challenges we all face in consultation. Not least is the management of public expectations of what they can, and cannot influence; as well as developing good defensible processes which provide well informed input to assist decision makers make good policy decisions.”

“It is also difficult to make sure we get to talk to the right people. We sometimes refer to these people as the 'silent majority'. We do not only want to speak with those noisy 'squeaky wheels' of the minority - those people who will come to meetings and be willing to have their say. We need to be prepared to go and find others and hear from them. After all, public consultation is a process for the purposes of good decision making and policy - it is not an end in itself.”

Agreeing, Ms Sulosana Karthigasu, Managing Director of the PR Academy said, “Consultation provides an opportunity not only to identify concerns but also seek views and ideas. Sometimes a misunderstanding or misreading of each other’s intentions can derail a consultation programme, even when both the government and the public are working towards the same objectives. This is one of the main reasons why it is important for the policy makers to hear not only from the vocal minority – but the silent majority.”

“The lessons shared by our experts today show clearly that though conducting public consultation is a very challenging and onerous task, the results are well worth the effort.”

The conference was opened by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, and Second Minister for Trade and Industry.

About the Academy

The Public Relations Academy was set up in June 2001 to enhance the standards of public communications in the public sector, through a three-pronged approach of training, research and consultancy. The annual conference has become a major event in the local PR calendar. Speakers at the past three conferences include Mr Lim Siong Guan, then Head of Civil Service and Mr Mike McCurry, Press Secretary to former American President Bill Clinton.

Since its inception, the Academy has trained almost 7,000 people, mostly public sector officers. An encouraging trend has been the steady increase in the number of senior management (including non-PR professionals) who sign up for the Academy’s various communications workshops and programmes. From just 27% in 2001, the number grew to 61% last year.

ISSUED BY:

THE PUBLIC RELATIONS ACADEMY

MINISTRY OF INFORMATION, COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS

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